1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to juicers having a smoothie making function and, more particularly, to a juicer which can make green vegetable juice, fruit juice and/or soybean milk from vegetables, fruits or soybeans, and can easily make smoothies without leaving behind residue, such as fiber, in the smoothies even when whole vegetables or whole fruits are put into the juicer without having been cut.
2. Description of the Related Art
An existing juicer is an appliance that makes juice using centrifugal separation after a raw material is put into a feed tube, by pressing and crushing the material at high speed. However, such a juicer is problematic in that the characteristic taste and nutrients of a fruit may be destroyed during the high-speed crushing process, it is difficult to make green vegetable juice from vegetables having stems and leaves, it is difficult to make juice from fruits that are highly viscous, such as kiwis or strawberries, and in addition it is almost impossible to make soybean milk from soybeans. Further, if a user continues to make juice, the juicer must be frequently disassembled and washed to remove residue from the mesh.
A food processing apparatus essentially requires cleanliness and smooth washing or cleaning. If food remains behind in the apparatus or if the apparatus becomes dirty, the food will spoil easily and bacteria will breed. Hence, internal components of the apparatus need to be easy to disassemble and clean.
Korean U.M. Registration No. 190676 was filed by the inventor of this invention and pertains to a juice extractor having a grinding function. The juice extractor is configured so that a long feed screw is horizontally assembled with a drum, together with an extracting net and a drum cap, to be coupled to a sidewall of a driving unit. The overall length thereof is long, and the extractor performs a juice extracting operation when a raw material is being slowly fed horizontally after being put into a feed tube.
Thus, the juice extractor has drawbacks in that a wide space is required when the extractor is being used or is in storage, and in that the extracting speed is slow because a raw material is extracted while moving horizontally, and thick highly viscous juice does not flow down well, but may collect in the drum. Further, the juice extractor is problematic in that the feed screw has no rotating shaft on an end thereof, so that the end of the feed screw without the rotating shaft may shake and collide with a blade on an inner wall of the extracting net while rotating, thus causing noise and abrasion.
Further, such a juice extractor must be disassembled and washed after being used, to overcome a hygienic problem caused by the remaining food. Thus, the juice extractor requires a configuration that minimizes inconvenience during disassembly and assembly. Further, the juice extractor is in need of further improvement to achieve durability during the use of the extractor.
In order to solve the problems, Korean Patent No. 793852 has been proposed, which deals with a juice extractor. This was filed by the inventor of this invention after which it was registered. According to the cited document, the juice extractor can make soybean milk from soybeans using the principle of a millstone which grinds, presses and crushes the beans, and can make fruit juice from fruits having high viscosity, such as tomato, kiwis or strawberries, by rubbing, pressing and crushing the fruits over a grater. Since a housing of the juice extractor is vertically coupled to an upper portion of a driving unit, a wide space is not required to use or store the extractor in. Further, since the position of a juice outlet is at a more upper position compared to the prior art, it is possible to utilize various kinds of cups.
Due to the above-mentioned structural characteristics, the juice extractor disclosed in Korean Patent No. 793852 is advantageous in that it can be easily washed. However, the juice extractor must be disassembled, washed and assembled in order to solve a hygienic problem which may be caused by food left behind in the juice extractor or when making different kinds of juices in succession.
In an effort to solve the above-mentioned problems, Korean Patent No. 755440, which was filed by the inventor of this invention and then was registered, proposes a juice extractor with a structure that is an improvement over that of the juice extractor disclosed in Korean Patent No. 793852. To realize easy and simple washing, this juice extractor is provided with a brush for continuously brushing both the outer surface of the net drum and the inner surface of the housing. However, this juice extractor is problematic in that, when the juice extractor is operated while water is being put into the housing through the feed tube, the brush is rotated and washes the lower portions of both the housing and the net drum; however, in the above state, the water does not reach the upper portions, but is discharged to the outside of the housing through the juice outlet, so that the upper portions may not be washed.
Further, in the juice extracting operation of the juice extractor disclosed in Korean Patent No. 755440, as shown in FIG. 6, tough fiber included in the residue is cut by the rotation of the feed screw 200 at the location between a feed screw 200 and a net drum bottom ring 340 and is discharged to a residue outlet 570 through a net drum discharge hole 360 formed in the lower end of the net drum bottom ring 340. However, when the residue includes lots of tough fiber, uncut tough fiber residue may be left behind between the feed screw 200 and the net drum bottom ring 340. The uncut tough fiber residue may slightly push the feed screw 200 upwards and form a space between a discharge step 225 formed in the lower surface of the feed screw 200 and the net drum bottom ring 340 having the net drum discharge hole 360, Therefore, the uncut tough fiber residue gradually collects in the space and the residue having the uncut tough fiber gradually closes the net drum discharge hole 360, so that the residue may not be smoothly discharged through the hole and this disturbs the continuous juice extraction, thereby bringing the juice extraction process to a halt.
Further, some users need smoothies made from vegetables and fruits. However, a conventional smoothie maker cannot make smoothies from vegetables having lots of fiber. Additionally, to make smoothies from fruits using the conventional smoothie maker, the rinds and seeds of the fruits must be removed and this is inconvenient to users. Further, effective components of fruits are more abundantly present in the rinds and seeds than in the flesh of fruits and, accordingly, it is not good to make smoothies from fruits after removing the rinds and seeds.